Arthur wadsworth



the breakage of the spring, substantially and for the purpose specified.

glatten grieten gtttrxttgffrt.

ARTHUR WADSWORTH, OF NEWARK, N EW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ROBERT SCHELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. 74,457, dated February I1, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATGHES.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONGERN:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR. WADSWO-RTH, of Newark, in the county of Essex, and State of New'dersey, have invented a new and useful' Improvementin Watches; and I do hereby decla-re that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willjeuable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompahyingdrawings forming part of this specification.

The present invention relates to the main-spring barrel to thc-movement of awatch or 'other time-pieces, and the principle of this invention consists in so constructing either one or both of the head or endlates to such barrel, that, when applied to the body portion of the barrel, such body will be confined and bound upon and around its outside, and thus strengthened and stiffened, as well as in many other -respects improved and rendered the more eilicient and practical, as will be hereinafter stated.

In addition to the above, this invention consists in so applying the body to that head-plate of the barrel through which the unwinding of the coiled spring acts'to run the watch-movement, that, in case the coiled spring should break, it can wholly relieve itself upon the body, and thus all danger of injury to the teeth of the barrel or other parts of the running-gear by their breakage, prevented-a result ot" much importance and advantage. In the accompanying plate of drawings my improvements in 'watches are illustrated- Figure 1 being a view of the toothed head to the barrel upon its face where the body is secured.

Figure-2, a transverse section,vtal;en in the plane of the line x w, Eg. 1; and

Figure 3, a side or edge view of the body portion to the barrel.

Similar letters of reference iudicatecorresponding parts.

A, in the drawings',represents the toothed head-plate to a main-spring barrel of a watch or other timemovement. This plate'A, upon one face, is partially cut out through its thickness in a circular line concentric with its centre, so as to form a recess, C. Around the inner edge D of the recess C is inserted the open end E'to the body of the barrel, which body, at its other end, is closed by a headplatc,F, properly applied thereto. This body, when inserted in the recess, as above described,may be there fastened by rivets or other suitable fastening-devices, so that it andthe head, by the uncoiling of the spring, will turn together. But in lieu of riveting, and otherwise similarly fastening it, I deem it best` to so form the barrel that it can be sprung therein, and, when in, operate toconino itself `in addition to the assistance afforded by the tendency of the spring within the barrel to uncoil itself, which, acting against the inner side of the body, serves to more perfectly bind tbc body against the inner edge ofthe recess. i y

From the above description, it is plain to be seen that the body of the barrel is confined upon and around its outside, by which, in lieu of the tendency of the spring to uncoil, acting to loosen the body from the head, as in the ordinary manuel' of constructing the barrel and applying the heads thereto, it acts in a manner directly reverse, or, in other words, it serves to more firmly bind and hold the body to the heads-an advautago of much importance.

For rendering the-turning of the toothed head by the barrel-body the more certain as the spring uncoils, if such body is sprung into the recess of the head, I provide the open edge M of the body with a shoulder, a, that, when the body is applied to the head, comes to a rest against the raised pin b upon the recessed face ofthe head, and thus through that secures, beyond a possibility of slip, the revolution of the head, and thus the movement of. the train. y i

In lieu of securing the outer end of the main-spring to the barrel-body by a pin or stud as heretofore, I insert and coniineit in a notch or slot, c, of the same, which, it is obvious, is much simpler, cheaper, and better than by 'the old method above referred to.

By not fastening the body to the toothed head, it is plainly manifest that, in case the spring should break, it can relieve itself wholly upon the barrel,or at lea-st to a suicient degree to prevent any injury, by breakage, to the movement-train.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- I. A main-spring barrel, for watch and other time-movements, in which the body is confined upon the outside by eitber one or both of its heads, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In combination witlrthe above, I claim a main-spring barrel, whenthe body and toothed head, with the latter confining the former upon its outside, are so secured together that the former can turn in the latter upon Witnesses:

WM. F. llIcNAM-ABA, ALEX. F. Ronn'rs.

ARTHUR WADswon'rH. 

